FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator is calling for answers from TikTok and its Chinese-based owner about videos on its platform that reportedly show users how to cross the U.S. southern border as the number of Chinese nationals crossing the border is increasing.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., in a letter to the CEOs of TikTok and ByteDance, cited "alarming" reports that Chinese nationals are using TikTok and its Chinese counterpart to cross the southern border illegally.

CBS News reported how migrants were given step-by-step instructions for hiring smugglers and detailed directions about where gaps are along the southern border, particularly near parts of San Diego. 

Other outlets have reported on how Chinese immigrants drew on social media influencers, private groups and user comments to plan their trips overseas.

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"The extent of information related to penetrating the United States southern border is so rife on your platforms that some nationals have reported details related to certain modes of transportation to use. There are even posts on how much border officials expect to be bribed in countries along the way," Schmitt said.

He said ByteDance's contribution to the crisis "is of deep concern and jeopardizes our national security."

Fox reported last month how Chinese nationals are the fastest growing migrant demographic in at least one border sector. The number of Chinese nationals has been increasing since fiscal year 2021. In fiscal 2022, numbers increased to more than 2,000. In fiscal 2023, that number surged to more than 24,300.

"Our nation is facing an unprecedented surge of illegal aliens crossing our southern border, threatening the safety and well-being of our citizens, and it is clear that your platform is directly contributing to this surge," Schmitt said.

His requests for information included a timeline of when the companies began seeing videos promoting illegal immigration and any efforts to mitigate the effects of these videos, as well as any communications with Chinese government officials about illegal crossings.

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In a statement to Fox, Schmitt said TikTok needs to "provide answers on why the platform is further empowering coyotes, cartels and human traffickers to facilitate illegal crossings at our Southern border." 

"TikTok is jeopardizing national security and shamelessly contributing to the disaster at our border. We need to know exactly what TikTok’s leadership in Beijing and in the United States has been communicating with the Chinese Communist Party and the full extent of how the social media platform has enabled illegal immigration into our country," he said.

Fox News reached out to TikTok and ByteDance for comment for this story. In a statement to Fox last month, TikTok said it "strictly prohibits human smuggling, which we remove from our platform and report to law enforcement when warranted."

According to TikTok's website, the company provides a space for "survivors of human exploitation to share their stories and for migrants and refugees to be able to document their journeys, so we provide a space to do so."

The social media company also claimed 93% of the human trafficking content on the platform was removed proactively. 

The letter comes as the House approved a bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok.

Led by House China select committee Chair Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the bill sailed through the House by a 352-65 bipartisan vote.

If signed into law, the bill would block the app in the U.S. if its parent company, ByteDance, does not divest from it within 165 days of passage. It would also require it to be bought by a country that is not a U.S. adversary.

Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.

It is tradition that you wear "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" on your wedding day.

For Jacob Wright, 24, his "something new" was the Apple Vision Pro headset, which he wore while being photographed at his own wedding.

The groom, who is a software engineer at RunPod, a Philadelphia-based software company, and his wife, Cambree Wright, 19, a personal trainer, were nearing the end of their photo shoot and while Cambree posed for bridal pictures, Jacob grabbed his Apple Vision Pro, he told Fox News Digital.

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The Utah couple tied the knot on Feb. 10 and shared the now-viral photos before leaving for their honeymoon.

Jacob Wright said he had seen some photos circulating on X of people doing everyday life with Apple Vision Pros (priced at $3,499), and he saw the opportunity to have a fun, viral moment if he wore them while standing alongside his new wife.

"I was like, 'Oh, it'd be like such a meme. It'd be so funny if we just took some pictures with it on after the wedding," he said.

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As Cambree Wright was finalizing her solo shots, Jacob Wright came around the corner adorned in his tech gear and everyone there couldn't help but laugh.

"The photographer thought it was hilarious. She thought it was like the funniest thing ever," Jacob Wright said.

He posted the moment on X, and it immediately caught the attention of the tech community.

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While Cambree Wright may look less than thrilled, she promises that some moments were captured in poor timing.

"I just got my wedding pictures back yesterday and all of them are [of] me laughing and smiling at Jacob in the Apple Vision Pros, so I guess the only one where I look like a jerk is the one that blew up," she joked.

Cambree Wright said Utah was hit with chilly weather on her big day, so her look of "disgust" was not in relation to her husband's technology, but rather the outside cold.

Jacob Wright posted the photo and his phone "started blowing up" during the reception, he recalled.

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While enjoying their honeymoon, they started to read some of the comments.

 "People are ruthless," Jacob Wright said.

"The messages were a little bit crazy. I woke up to 200 plus messages and just random girls telling me to divorce my husband," Cambree Wright recalled.

The happy couple didn't let the comments get them down or tarnish their fun memory.

Since tying the knot, Jacob Wright has returned his Apple Vision Pros.

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"I tried super hard to adopt [it] into daily workflow. I spent a whole day working [while wearing them], and there were just no net productivity gains," he said.

"The fun part is just seeing people's reaction to it because it really is pretty magical. But in terms of daily use…it just wasn't quite there to warrant it," Jacob Wright added.

What Jacob Wright found most enjoyable was the tech's spatial video capabilities, as he used it to capture footage during his time working with the wedding photographer and even allowed friends to try it out during the reception, he said.

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"And I think in the future, like us being able to show our kids the immersive pictures and videos, we'll have one of the first immersive videos of a wedding," Jacob Wright added.

"It could be something that we watch with our kids on, like a hologram," he said. "I don't know. It could be wild."

The couple could not have been happier with how the wedding turned out, and they love that this viral moment is something they can laugh about together.

"The picture and everything that happened that day totally, perfectly encompasses Jacob and his personality, who he is [and] his interests," Cambree Wright said.

"I know it's a silly photo, but it is really raw, you know? [It] shows exactly who we are and like, what our relationship is like," she added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Apple for comment.

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